COMING SOON!

I recently said to our church that I could not describe exactly what God was doing in our midst.  That is what I meant.  I have observed an obvious work of God in people, our church and an overwhelming sense that God is up to something at WBC.   What I see God doing is awakening people.  I see God reviving people and our church.  Revival is something that we pray for and even try to schedule unfortunately.  But could it be happening in us?  According to the book Firefall, McDow and Reid,  Revival has begun this way historically.

1. Recognition of Need 2. Repentace of Sin 3. Obedience to God and 4. Exercise of Faith.  These are definitely some things I have seen at WBC.

They go on to lay out the effect of revival on a church.  They say that what is expereinced is a return to the Lord that brings about a more celebrative worship, doctrinal renewal (recommitment to the gospel), and evangelistic outreach. 

Could we be in the midst of a Spiritual Awakening?  A Revival?  

I believe we are definitely in the beginning of a great work of God.  Historically people did not identify what was happening at the time they just followed the Lord and experienced the blessing.   It is my prayer that God continue in us what he has began. 

Where are you? What is God showing you?  Do you see  a need of awakening? What Sin needs to be confessed? What is God showing you in obedience?  What step of faith is God doing in you? In us as a church? 

God is moving.  May we be right in the middle of it.  May He start in me!

RETURN TO THE LORD

The next three weeks at WBC will be about returning to the Lord.  The time is now!  We can no longer live in a religious idealism that hopes some day things will change.  We must return now.  God has gone to great lengths to give us the opportunity for forgiveness, holiness and righteousness.  We must be willing to move back towards him.  This means repentance.  Repentance is acknowlegding our sin and going in the opposite direction towards God.   As we fast and pray over the next few weeks, may God work in us in new and fresh ways.  We must make room for him in our lives and be willing to listen and obey what he shows us.  

Are you open to hearing from the Lord.  Remember pray for personal holiness, our church and those people you have identified as needing Christ.  Come pray at the church, pray at home, pray with your families.  RETURN TO THE LORD!

21 Days of Prayer and Fasting. 

 It is what we have been called to do.  Prayer and fasting should be in the fabric of our existence.  Unfortunately it is an occasional if not a nonexistent part of our Christian walk.  On February 28 we will put back into our vocabulary and our practice; Prayer and Fasting. 

As Pastor of Williamstown Baptist Church I have been challenged and am challenging our church to return to the Lord.  We will be praying specifically for 3 things:  Personal Holiness, Our Church, and Lost people.  

God is calling His church back to holiness and purity that call includes us.  It is time for the people who are called by His name to be humble, repentant and seek the face of God. 

God is at work in Williamstown Baptist Church.  In the past months I have encountered exciting converstation, dreams, hopes, actions of God's people.  I have sensed an excitement and desire for God to move here at WBC in a new and powerful way.  I recently had the opportunity to lead our Wednesday prayer meeting and heaven came down.  I havent prayed with others like that in a long time.  We are planning a mission trip to Michigan and the excitement I hear about that is very motivating and exciting.  Because of all of this we must spend time together praying and seeking God.  As God moves among us we must seek and consult Him.  May we only do what he as purposed.  Join us as we pray for our Church!

God sent His son so that we might live.  He sent His son for the forgiveness of sin.  We live among a people who do not know Christ.  We live among people who are lost and headed for a Christless eternity. namely Hell.  Join us as we pray for specific friends, family members and others who are not follower of Christ.

Prayer and Fasting.  February 28 - March 20.  21 Days of returning to the Lord.  Join us!

To hear more about our effort come to WBC on February 27 as we begin our return to the Lord.

I write this morning hopeful.  We have another week to serve the Lord.  It will present itself with unique opportunities to minister, show love, care, share the gospel.  This week will also present opportunities to overcome and live our lives well.  We have been preaching through Romans and the last two weeks we have talked about sanctification. 

God cares about our sanctification as much as he cares about our salvation.  Sanctification is God working in our lives after we are saved so we will live for Him.  Paul alludes to this in Philippians 2:12 when he talks about “working out your salvation with fear and trembling.” 

I know I have been challenged in my own life and how well I am working out the salvation that I cherish so much.  We really live in a way that the choices we make define our success or failure.  Certainly this week we will be tempted and given opportunity.  We must be ready.  We must allow the power of the Holy Spirit to work in us and empower us to work out our salvation well.

Please Join me in this prayer:

Father in heaven, we pray in the name of Jesus Christ, we rely on your Spirit to empower us to live our lives well.  We want to know you, follow you and please you.  We also want to experience your love, care and desire for us.  We need you to go before us and light our path; we need you to strengthen us, and may our greatest joy this week be in you.  Whatever you allow to come our way, we want to be ready to choose you.  Forgive us when we choose ourselves and empower us to change.   We thank you for your love, your holiness and your greatness.  May we live great lives for you!  Amen

As I grow older and attempt to understand the world in a more full way I have come to understand that what I believe about God is in many ways connected to how I live my life.   If i have an understanding of God that is a small unintersted, distant being then my day to day life is not motivated in the least to please him, live for him or really acknowledge him.  If in contrast I have a large view of God, that is I see him in all his splendor and understand his love, justice, mercy, holiness and his sense of being other than me, I can then begin to "Live" for him.  Paul says in Romans that we have been buried with Christ in his death and given new life in his resurrection. 

I wonder how this effects our lives?  If God is my Genie in a bottle or simply acknowledge him only when I need him then I am doomed.  I haven't a new life, nor a new existence or the power of his spirit.  However if I desire newness, fresheness and a sense of new living, new wants, new priorities then it will start with my understanding of God and his magnificent work on the Cross in Jesus Christ.   You see if I am aloof to the truth of God, then my life is aloof from him and his power. 

The challenge then is to gain understanding, knowledge and the power of God.  How do I do that?  I pray, I read, I allow God's presence to invade my space. I participate in his church.  I allow God to interrupt my selfishness, I allow the Holy Spirit to comfort, guide, convict.  I do these things because I know that God is BIG and I am not.  

Live in the presence of a big God and life can be lived in a new way.  Behold all things have become new.  Not because of my religiosity but because of his greatness.

It has been a while since I have taken the opportunity to blog any new thoughts.  I have started and stopped many times and have made a committment to keep from putting just any thoughts on the blog.  I want to use this blog to encourage and help the followers of WBC and others to have a vibrant, hopeful relationship with the Lord.  I am under no illusion that my thoughts are very important or necessary for people to excel in their faith, however a good opportunity to communicate outside the normal scope.  So if you are reading this blog or if you stop by and check it out...I hope it is helpful. 

I recently recieved a book that quickly caught my attention.   Marks of the Messenger by J. Mack Stiles.   This book I eagerly read quickly but thoughtfully.  It is a book about evangelism.  Now, I have read many books about evangelism and many books about how to do evangelism.  This one however is different.  Here is the subtitle: Knowing, Living and Speaking the Gospel. 

Stiles sets out to explain the importance of the Gospel.  He does not start with proclamation which seems like a typical place to begin.  He starts with the Gospel.  That is giving a good treatise on the importance that the messenger knows that of which he seeks to tell others about.  This is huge!  So many times we have been encouraged, motivated, guilted and told we need to tell others about Jesus.  Good aspiration.  However what business do we have sharing what we don't even understand.  Stiles artfully lays out the Gospel and the necessisty of keeping the Gospel clear and precise.  He talks about the dangers of letting the message be manipulated by the task of evangelism.

Stiles ends the book by laying out a call for the church to love.  Love for each other and love for others.  Love that shows others that Jesus is the Christ.  This appeal is an understated and underused point that Jesus made in the Gospel of John. 

If you are interested in evangelism and interested in reaching others.  This is a must read.  In fact I think it should be required reading for all believers.

I write this on Monday of Easter Week.  As we celebrate this week we should all remember the final week of our Lord.

Jesus Christ entered Jerusalem on the back of a colt on Palm Sunday.  He was praised and given Glory and Honor.

Jesus took specific time to spend with those closest to Him.  He spent a “last” supper with them, telling them of his sacrifice and his covenant with them.

Jesus took an opportunity to spend time with the Father to pray and ask God to “take from him” the bitter cup of what was going to happen.  The Bible said it was such an intense time he had sweat drops of blood.  Jesus did tell God that he would do exactly what God wanted.  The perfect example of obedience.

Jesus was betrayed by one of his closest followers, Judas.  Judas gave Jesus up to the opposition leaders for his own benefit.   One of the most amazing things is that Jesus still washed Judas’ feet. 

Jesus was then taken before the religious leaders and eventually taken to the Roman government and charged as a traitor and blasphemer.  He became a perceived threat and they wanted to get rid of him.

Jesus went before Pilate and Herod and Pilate again and was sentenced to beating, flogging, torture and eventually death on a cross.

Jesus carried his own cross on the road to Golgotha where he would be killed.   He continued to be beaten, spat upon and mocked.

Jesus was nailed to a cross and crucified between two common criminals.  He would speak to his mother, John and to the thief on the cross.  He asked God to forgive the people who were killing him.  He committed his spirit back to the Lord.  He became sin for us so we could have forgiveness and eternity.  He then hung his head and died.

Some thought this was the end of the story.  God has another plan.

ON THE THIRD DAY JESUS DEFEATED DEATH, HELL, and the GRAVE.  HE ROSE FROM THE DEAD!  HE LIVES.  THE FIRST EASTER CHANGED EVERYTHING.  

Come worship with us this Easter! JESUS IS ALIVE!!!!

Darrel Harvey

On April 10, 2010 our church will host a night of worship.  We have entitled it, ENCOUNTER: A WBC WORSHIP EVENT.  It is my hope that these worship events are a regular part of our attempt to give God his due worship. 

This ENCOUNTER weekend will include special musical group, Altared, inluding our own members; Marcia Walters, Colton and Quade Simpson.  Our special guest speaker is Darrel Harvey from Flusing Michigan. Darrel is a former church planter and works with Williams Lake Church of the Nazarene. 

I am excited to have a night specifically reserved for worship.  It is my hope that everyone will make plans to be at Williamstown Baptist that night for a great night of worship and fellowship.  The music will be great, the message will be timely, the only remaining question is will you be there? 

Plan on being at WBC Saturday April 10, 2010 @ 6:30  Bring anyone interested in worshipping our great God.